1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of recording information in an information recording medium, an apparatus to implement the method, and a computer-readable recording medium for storing a program to cause a computer to implement the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent functional improvements in personal computers (PC) make it possible to deal more easily with audio and visual information such as music and images. Emergence of personal computers that incorporate a receiver for receiving TV programs or radio programs accelerates developments of optical discs, such as a DVD+R (Digital Versatile Disc+Recordable) and a DVD+RW (Digital Versatile Disc+ReWritable), suitable for storing a large amount of broadcast content information. As such an optical disc is now more affordable, an optical disc apparatus, which serves as an information recorder for the optical disc, is more widely used. In addition, each of a DVD+R and a DVD+RW is compatibile with a currently widespread DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc+Read Only Memory). In other words, a conventional DVD-ROM drive apparatus can properly reproduce information recorded in a DVD+R and a DVD+RW.
In order to establish this compatibility with a DVD-ROM, in particular, a DVD+RW has to be formatted to record dummy data in advance in the entire recorded area or a designated portion thereof. In general, it takes a long processing time to complete this formatting process. For this reason, a DVD+RW is conventionally formatted using a background formatting method. In accordance with the background formatting method, when a user requests a formatting process for a DVD+RW, only predetermined management information is recorded in a portion of the lead-in area of the DVD+RW (initialization). Then, the user is informed that the formatting process has been completed, although the entire formatting process has not actually been completed yet, and is allowed to record and reproduce information in the DVD+RW. Then, while the user is not accessing the DVD+RW, dummy data are recorded in the remaining recorded area so as to complete the entire formatting process.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-043663, which was presented by the present inventor, discloses an invention for recording and reproducing an optical disc in an information recording apparatus. In the disclosed apparatus, when a user requests the apparatus to record or reproduce desired information during initialization, the apparatus temporarily halts the initialization and records the information. Accordingly, the apparatus makes it possible to make a newly purchased optical disc (a blank disc) recordable sooner than conventional methods because the apparatus can start to record information without completion of the initialization.
According to the disclosed apparatus, however, after the user inserts a blank disc into the apparatus so as to record desired data (user data), it is necessary for the user to wait for the time required to record at least predetermined management information in the lead-in area of the optical disc before being allowed to start recording user data. Thus, for example, even if the user attempts to record a currently broadcast TV program in a DVD+RW, the apparatus is not capable of recording the TV program immediately. In this case, there is a risk that the apparatus cannot record a desired portion of the TV program.
On the other hand, user data are also not allowed to be recorded in a DVD+R until predetermined management information is recorded in a portion of the lead-in area of the DVD+R. Thus, it is necessary for a user to wait for the time required to record at least predetermined management information in a portion of the lead-in area before the user data may start to be recorded. Accordingly, even if the user attempts to record a currently broadcast TV program in a DVD+R, the apparatus is not capable of recording the TV program immediately, as in the above-mentioned DVD+RW. In this case, there is a risk that the apparatus cannot record a desired portion of the TV program.